This invention relates to golf More specifically, this invention relates to a new kind of golf course. Several golf courses in accordance with the invention may be incorporated into a golf park. This invention also relates to a method for playing a golf game.
Golf is a sport loved by millions world wide. Unfortunately for golf aficionados, golf has become so popular that courses have become markedly crowded. It is not uncommon for waiting times to be comparable to playing times. Waits are experienced not only prior to starting a golf game but during the game, at tees subsequent to the first one. Even if a particular course is not crowded at a certain time, frustration may nevertheless be occasioned one group of golfers by a another, slow group of golfers playing ahead. Conversely, one""s enjoyment in the game can be considerably diminished by demands of following players to play more quickly. Beginners can be discouraged from playing the game, not only by pressures to minimize strokes and thus time on any particular hole, but also by exorbitant costs. High expense is especially rampant in countries such as Japan where land is at a premium.
An object of the present invention is to provide a golf course where an individual or a group can play golf at a desired pace, without encountering slower golfers in front or faster golfers behind.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a golf course wherein land usage is minimized, thereby enabling the play of golf even in areas where land is scarce.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a new method for playing a golf game.
These and other objects of the present invention will be apparent from the drawings and descriptions herein.
The foregoing objects are realized in a golf course comprising essentially a single fairway with multiple greens. At least two greens are provided, at opposite ends of the fairway. One or more additional greens may be provided between the first two greens and along the fairway. Also, multiple tees are provided for the one fairway. At least one tee is provided at each end of the fairway, the tee facing down the fairway towards the green at the opposite end of the fairway. Each green may be the target of two or more tees disposed at different locations on the fairway. The golf course is occupied for a predetermined limited period of time by an individual or a single group of golfers. The individual or single group of golfers plays back and forth along the fairway, for as long as they have reserved the course. They can play at their own pace, undisturbed by other golfers because there are no other golfers on the course. The only limitation is duration: eventually they will have to stop because their reserved interval of play has terminated.
In accordance with the present invention, the tees and the greens, as well as hazards disposed along the fairway, are so arranged as to present many different holes on the same fairway. The tee off location will vary depending on which tee one selects. In addition, the greens can be large enough to have multiple cups at substantially spaced locations.
Accordingly, a golf course in accordance with the present invention comprises a fairway having a first end and a second end. A first green is disposed at the first end of the fairway, while a second green is disposed at the second end of the fairway. Play is from the fairway onto the two greens. A first tee is disposed approximately at the first end of the fairway for play onto the fairway towards the second green. A second tee is disposed approximately at the second end of the fairway for play onto the fairway towards the first green. The fairway is the only fairway of the golf course and accommodates more than two holes of a golf game. Of course, a plurality of such single-fairway golf courses may be provided in proximity to one another. Such a collection of golf courses might be termed a xe2x80x9cgolf park.xe2x80x9d
According to another feature of the present invention, the golf course further comprises a third green disposed along the fairway intermediate between the first green and the second green, a third tee disposed approximately at the third green for play onto the fairway towards the first green, and a fourth tee disposed approximately at the third green for play onto the fairway towards the second green. The single-fairway golf course may additionally comprise a fifth tee disposed approximately at the first end of the fairway for play onto the fairway towards the third green and a sixth tee disposed approximately at the second end of the fairway for play onto the fairway towards the third green.
Pursuant to an additional feature of the present invention, each end of the fairway may be provided with multiple, relatively spaced tees for play towards the green at the other end of the fairway. Generally, one tee presents a shorter or easier hole while the other tee at the same end of the fairway presents a longer or harder hole.
Hazards may be provided along the single fairway which present different degrees of difficulty depending on which tee is used and which cup is being played. A hazard may be disposed in the fairway for dividing the fairway into substantially parallel portions each extending the length of the fairway. In that case, two tees at one end of the fairway may be disposed for play onto respective portions of the divided fairway.
According to a further feature of the present invention, a movable hazard is disposed along the fairway. The hazard is mounted to a carrier which may be towed by a truck or pulled by cables. The hazard may be removed from the fairway and replaced with a different hazard for varying the aspect and level of skill required by the course. Alternatively, the hazard may simply be moved to a different location on the course.
As discussed above, a golf park may be created by providing several single-fairway golf courses in proximity to one another. The courses of such a golf park may be designed to present a varying level of difficulty.
In a method for playing golf in accordance with the present invention, a first golf ball is hit from a first tee onto a fairway from a first end of the fairway towards a first green disposed at a second end of the fairway opposite the first tee and the first end. That ball is then hit from the fairway onto the first green and into a first cup on the first green. Thereafter, a second golf ball (which may be same ball as the first) is hit from a second tee onto the fairway towards a second green disposed at the first end of the fairway. The second tee is disposed approximately at the second end of the fairway and the first tee is disposed approximately at the first end of the fairway. After the second golf ball is hit from the second tee onto the fairway, that ball is hit from the fairway onto the second green and into a second cup on the second green.
Play on the golf course may be extended by hitting a third golf ball from a tee at least approximately at one of the first end and the second end onto the fairway towards a third green disposed along the fairway intermediate between the first green and the second green. This ball is played into a cup on the third green. Then, a fourth golf ball (perhaps the same physical ball as the first, second and third golf balls) may be played onto the fairway towards one of the first green and the second green from a tee disposed substantially proximately to the third green.
A golf course in accordance with the present invention requires substantially less space than a traditional golf course . Land usage is minimized, thereby enabling the play of golf even in areas where land is scarce.